{
  "abstract": "Bacterial operons enable co-transcription of multiple genes, yet post-transcriptional mechanisms permitting differential regulation of individual genes within a polycistronic transcript remains incompletely understood. We demonstrate that a cis-encoded RNA-RNA interaction within the bicistronic yabJ-spoVG transcript forms an RNase III substrate that represses the transcription factor SpoVG in Staphylococcus aureus. Disruption of the cis-encoded regulation elevated monocistronic spoVG expression, reduced biofilm formation and cell wall peptidoglycan thickness, and increased sensitivity to cell wall-targeting antimicrobials in clinical vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus, consistent with phenotypes observed in an independent SpoVG overexpression strain. These findings uncover a previously undescribed mode of cis-regulatory control within a polycistronic operon and establish regulatory mRNA-mRNA interactions as a mechanism for sub-operonic gene regulation.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia."
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "R. Lynch"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Pettersson"
    },
    {
      "name": "P. M. L. Coulon"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. M. Biazik"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. J. Tree"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "D. G. Mediati"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d3k5azmmk2xjn.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.09.18.752551",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.18.752551v1.full",
  "id": "d3k5azmmk2xjn",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.18.752551v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "microbiology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1311|Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213742878",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.18.752551v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-18",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d3k5azmmk2xjn.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:23:17Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.09.18.752551",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.18.752551v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:microbiology",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A cis-encoded RNA interaction controls sub-operonic spoVG expression in Staphylococcus aureus",
  "title_text": "A cis-encoded RNA interaction controls sub-operonic spoVG expression in Staphylococcus aureus",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:23:17Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d3k5azmmk2xjn",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}